Wealth Touch | Leadership

		Norman Jones brings a unique insight to his role as CEO of WealthTouch after years of working and associating with ultra-high net worth individuals. Raised in South Africa, he has spent more than 15 years working as a business consultant and entrepreneur in Asia, Europe and the United States, often working closely with the clientele WealthTouch now serves. In Hong Kong, Jones developed, led and sold two highly successful distribution and marketing businesses with backing from several ultra-high net worth investors. He also spent seven years as a vice president in Accenture’s strategy practice in London and San Francisco, consulting for companies in both the financial services and high-tech sectors. He was one of the founders of Connection to eBay™, a service business joint venture between eBay and Accenture, and led strategy engagements at Barclays, Standard Bank, Novell, HP, NetApp and eBay. Jones joined WealthTouch late in 2007 from McMahon & Company, a 30-year-old commercial insurance business, where Jones was a partner and president. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from IMD, the world’s top-ranked international business school, in Lausanne, Switzerland.

		Richard Higgins co-founded WealthTouch in 2001 and is credited with creating the groundbreaking technology that serves as the foundation for the firm. As co-founder of both Higgins-Knecht, a technology consulting firm, and Digital Partner, a financial technology firm, in the 1990s, Higgins established himself as an innovator and leader in the field of family wealth management. In 1999, the sale of Digital Partner to MyCFO Inc., a Silicon Valley-based online pioneer in the ultra-high net worth market, firmly placed Higgins at the heart of what became known as the technological renaissance in wealth management. Higgins is regularly invited to speak to family offices, insurance companies and financial planning groups all over the U.S. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from The Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in information systems from The George Washington University.

		Carl Knecht leads WealthTouch’s technology team, which manages the firm’s asset aggregation and expense management platform – one of Knecht’s many pioneering inventions. Knecht has been designing and developing tools to serve the ultra-high net worth market for more than 10 years, including the market’s first general ledger system. Knecht co-founded Higgins-Knecht, a technology consulting firm, with Richard Higgins, as well as Digital Partner, which was acquired by MyCFO Inc. in 1999. Knecht produced and managed the online expense management application for MyCFO prior to joining WealthTouch. He is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor’s degree in engineering.

		Jim Shehigian directs WealthTouch’s sales, relationship management and marketing groups. Shehigian joined WealthTouch from Private Client Resources (PCR) where he developed the company’s successful strategies for serving large private banks and other financial institutions in the ultra-high net worth market. In 1996, Shehigian co-founded Calypso Holdings to develop comprehensive channel distribution, marketing and technology strategies for the financial services sector. A merger with Maximum Impact Partners in 2000 further focused Calypso’s services on the high net worth market. For two decades prior, Shehigian held leadership roles with firms including Nuveen Investments, Envestnet and CNA. In these roles, he focused on innovative technology and marketing strategies to create sustained competitive advantage. Shehigian holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Northwestern University.

		Steve Kosten is responsible for managing the firm’s technology infrastructure and ensuring that WealthTouch’s engineering meets or surpasses industry best practices. As the firm’s Information Security Officer, Kosten also ensures the confidentiality of all client data. Kosten brings to WealthTouch immense knowledge and experience from multiple industries, including finance, telecommunications, aerospace and defense. Prior to joining WealthTouch, he was the Software Section Manager for Department of Defense Special Access Programs at Raytheon Corporation. He also spent five years as a lead engineer for Lockheed Martin, the largest provider of IT services, systems integration and training to the U.S. government, and several years as a technology consultant working with companies like Qwest, Financial Times Energy and others. Kosten received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and holds a master’s degree in information security from James Madison University through a program accredited by the National Security Agency (NSA).



Gloria Higgins lends her entrepreneurial spirit and extensive wealth management experience to WealthTouch in her role as chairman of the board. Over the course of her career, she has stood at the helm of five different start-up organizations, including WealthTouch in 2001. In 1978, she was a founding partner in Higgins, Meritt & Higgins, a CPA firm with tax and audit expertise. After serving as vice president of finance for Captiva Corporation, a single-family office in Denver, Colo., for nearly a decade, Higgins helped launch Epic Advisors in 1991. Today, Higgins is the president and CEO of Epic Advisors, which stands as one of the largest and most reputable multi-family offices in the United States, managing more than $2 billion in assets. In 1998, she also helped cofound Digital Partner, a financial services technology firm that was later sold to MyCFO, a Silicon Valley-based wealth management and online technology firm. Higgins has served on numerous boards and advisory committees for Colorado organizations, including Northstar Advisors, Citywide Banks and the Wynkoop Brewery. In 2007, she was appointed by Mayor John Hickenlooper to chair the board of the Denver Preschool Program. Higgins continues to be an active member of the philanthropic community, working with foundations and groups such as the Colorado Children’s Chorale, the Gathering Place, Focus Points Family Resource Center and the Denver General Hospital Finance Committee. She is a graduate of the University of Denver, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Robin Abrams brings a wealth of technology and senior management experience to her position on WealthTouch’s board. She has spent nearly 35 years in key leadership roles at numerous high-profile high-tech companies, building an impressive track record both in the U.S. and abroad. Most recently, she served as Interim CEO of ZiLOG, a provider of integrated microcontroller products. Previously, she was CEO of Firefly Mobile, a mobile products company for the youth market. Prior to Firefly Mobile, Abrams was president and CEO of BlueKite, a leading provider of bandwidth optimization software for wireless operators. Abrams also served as president and CEO of Palm Computing Inc., where she led the launches of the Palm V and Palm VII handheld devices. Prior to Palm, Abrams was president and CEO of VeriFone, the global leader in debit/credit card authorization solutions. She also held key executive positions at Apple, including managing director of Apple Asia and president of Apple Americas. Abrams’ international experience began with Unisys, where she was vice president and program general manager for retail delivery systems, vice president of Pacific marketing operations and general manager of Unisys Financial Centre, based in Hong Kong. Abrams entered the financial world of technology management with Norwest Banks (now Wells Fargo) after earning her B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Nebraska. Today, she also serves on the board of directors of HCL Technologies, Openwave Systems Inc. and ZiLOG.

Richard Higgins co-founded WealthTouch in 2001 and is credited with creating the groundbreaking technology that serves as the foundation for the firm. Today, he is the firm’s chief innovation officer, as well as a board member. As cofounder of both Higgins-Knecht, a technology consulting firm, and Digital Partner, a financial technology firm, in the 1990s, Higgins established himself as an innovator and leader in the field of family wealth management. In 1999, the sale of Digital Partner to MyCFO Inc., a Silicon Valley-based online pioneer in the ultra-high net worth market, firmly placed Higgins at the heart of what became known as the technological renaissance in wealth management. Higgins is regularly invited to speak to family offices, insurance companies and financial planning groups all over the U.S. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from The Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in information systems from The George Washington University.

In addition to serving as a board member, Norman Jones is the CEO of WealthTouch, bringing his unique insight to the firm after years of working and associating with ultra-high net worth individuals. Raised in South Africa, he has spent more than 15 years working as a business consultant and entrepreneur in Asia, Europe and the United States, often working closely with the clientele WealthTouch now serves. In Hong Kong, Jones developed, led and sold two highly successful distribution and marketing businesses with backing from several ultra-high net worth investors. He also spent seven years as a vice president in Accenture’s strategy practice in London and San Francisco, consulting for companies in both the financial services and high-tech sectors. He was one of the founders of Connection to eBay™, a service business joint venture between eBay and Accenture, and led strategy engagements at Barclays, Standard Bank, Novell, HP, NetApp and eBay. Jones joined WealthTouch in 2008 from McMahon & Company, a 30-year-old commercial insurance business, where Jones was a partner and president. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from IMD, the world’s top-ranked international business school, in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Fred Horn’s unparalleled experience in building highly scalable financial transaction systems makes him a valuable asset to the WealthTouch board. As CEO of Selero, a financial services firm that provides highly automated trade execution solutions, Horn is responsible for setting the company’s strategic direction and building a comprehensive structure for successful execution. Prior to joining Selero, Horn spent five years as a senior executive at New Era of Networks, a Colorado-based software integration company. As the company’s executive vice president of operations, he oversaw worldwide software sales, professional services and partner development, managing a 500-person staff in Denver, New York, London, Zurich, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney. During his tenure, New Era of Networks grew from $3 million to $200 million in revenue. Earlier, Horn was a partner at Ernst & Young, the management consulting practice, developing and implementing strategic technology initiatives for such international clients as Bank of America, Swiss Bank Corporation, JPMorgan and Nicholas Applegate. He also served as co-head of the equities trading platform at Goldman Sachs. Horn graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in economics.